Free copies of Athens hip-hop 'protest album' to be given away at vinyl release party

Andrew Shearer, Athens Banner-Herald
·3 min read
FILE - Squallé and Kxng Blanco performing at the 8th Edition of The Athens Hip-Hop Awards at the Warehouse in downtown Athens, Ga., on Saturday, March 5, 2022.
FILE - Squallé and Kxng Blanco performing at the 8th Edition of The Athens Hip-Hop Awards at the Warehouse in downtown Athens, Ga., on Saturday, March 5, 2022.

One of the biggest Athens hip-hop albums of the year will be given away for free and performed live in its entirety on Friday.

"The Time Is Now," a vinyl-only compilation featuring protest-themed songs and spoken word poetry by more than a dozen prominent local artists, will be celebrated with a special event at Creature Comforts Brewery.

The concert is free and open to the public.

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Subtitled "Shouting Fire In A Crowded Theater," the project is presented by ATHfactor-Liberty Entertainment (ALE) in conjunction with the University of Georgia Willson Center for Humanities & Arts, supported through a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. ALE CEO Montu Miller and UGA professor Ed Pavlić are credited as executive producers.

Celest Divine performs during the Life The Griot & Friends event, celebrating Chess & Community’s 10-year anniversary at Live Wire on Thursday, March 10, 2022 in Athens.
Celest Divine performs during the Life The Griot & Friends event, celebrating Chess & Community’s 10-year anniversary at Live Wire on Thursday, March 10, 2022 in Athens.

"I'm super excited about the project," said Athens poet and educator Celest Divine, whose track "Genesis" opens the album. "My biggest hope is that people will listen to the message whether or not they're hip-hop fans. ('Now Is The Time') represents a big group of talented artists that really have something to say."

Full track listing for "Now Is The Time"

SIDE A

"Intro (Distorted National Anthem)" by Anthony A. Hill

"Genesis" by Celest Divine

"Mean Ole' World" by Tony B and Billy D. Brell

"The Red Record" by Ishues

"FIRE Next Time" by LB and Caulfield

SIDE B

"Invisible Man" by Travis Williams x Squalle

"SICK & TIRED..." by Cassie Chantel and Ant Da Ripper

"Defend Ourselves (Souljah Life Mentality)" by Kxng Blanco, Frank The Eagle

"NOW IS THE TIME" by Life The Griot

All beats on "Now Is The Time" were created by Athens-based producers and each track was recorded in Athens studios.

Cover art for "Now Is The Time," an Athens, Ga. hip-hop and spoken poetry album released on Oct. 14, 2022.
Cover art for "Now Is The Time," an Athens, Ga. hip-hop and spoken poetry album released on Oct. 14, 2022.

Conceived as an album of protest music and dedicated to historic figures like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Fannie Lou Hamer and Fred Hampton, the project was initially slated for a summer 2021 release before delays related to COVID-19.

"Now Is The Time" is part of a 2021 Global Georgia Initiative public event series of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, and is the third and final part of the series DJ Summits in the Global South, a Global Georgia Initiative research project programmed by Pavlić and supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

"I just wrote from inside and let the pain speak for itself," Life the Griot told the Banner-Herald. "In the same breath, I try to offer some hope of using our moment to really change things for the better before they repeat themselves."

Creature Comforts Brewery is located at 271 W. Hancock Ave. Vinyl copies of "Now Is The Time" will be given away on a first come, first served basis beginning at 7 p.m. with an artist meet-and-greet autograph session. The concert is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens hip-hop 'protest album' to be performed live at vinyl giveaway